When Donnie Darko first came out, people were amazed at its storyline. Directed by James Richard Kelly, it traces the troubled life of a teenage boy who was traumatized as the result of a horrific accident. Even though he escapes unharmed, he suffers a series of nightmarish hallucinations involving an imaginary man named “Frank” who wears a rabbit costume and commands him to do his evil bidding.
Frank demands that Donnie commit horrible acts of murder as he continues to control his mind to the point where reality and delusions become intertwined.
Three Top Movies That Are Similar to Donnie Darko
Butterfly Effect
A similar movie is The Butterfly Effect. Directed by Eric Bress and starring Ashton Kutcher, the movie tells a mind-twisting story of a young man (Kutcher) who somehow manages to travel back in time to resolve some old childhood trauma.
Due to its eerie vibe and deep, psychic fascination, the movie earned a 2004 Academy of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. The idea that its a favorite among the audience for these very reasons has a lot to say about the human fascination with the paranormal mind.
Vanilla Sky
Another fan favorite is Vanilla Sky. In it, Tom Cruise plays a David Aames, an aspiring young man who appears to have it all: good looks, women, and lots of money. He becomes disfigured after a horrible accident and loses everything. Directed by Cameron Crowe, it presents a stark reminder that the belief that no one is ever infallible.
The reason that this movie has a strong connection to Donnie Darko has more to do with a healthy level of the supernatural. The lead character appears to be suffering from his own conscience, and there is hope that he might turn out to be more human after all.
Perhaps this is the very reason that the film was up for three awards, two of which were for best supporting actress and the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Tom Cruise’s performance.
12 Monkeys
Another good movie that has a strong plot twist and is similar to Donnie Darko is 12 Monkeys. The story begins in the year 2035, where Bruce Willis stars as James Cole, a man who was convicted of several unspeakable crimes. He and Jeffery, played by Brad Pitt, take a journey back in time to investigate a horrific plague that has wiped out two-thirds of the population.
Their only nemesis is Dr. Reilly, played by Madeleine Stowe, whose mission is to try and stop them. Not so for the formidable Dr. Reilly, who is played by Madeleine Stowe.
Other Movies With Similar Themes
Mulholland Drive
A 2001 classic, Mulholland Drive, was written and directed by David Lynch and is another tale involving the quirks of the human mind. It stars Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Mark Pelligrino, Ann Miller, and Robert Forster. It begins when Betty Elms(Watts) arrives in Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. Here she meets “Rita,” a survivor of a horrific accident and suffers from amnesia.
The plot gradually forms when Betty friends Rita. A diner known as Winkie’s gives the first few clues that involve multiple hallucinations which explore the dark side of amnesia. Viewers are treated to a vast underworld of hidden, crimes that involve homicide, and ghostly illusions as Rita slowly tries to recover all that she has lost.
There are suggestions to secure interest between Rita and Betty, as Betty appears to have developed a full-blown love interest in their relationship. The plot continues to thicken as time goes on, and it somehow ends in tragedy with a suicide.
Yet there are similarities to this and Donnie Darko in that main characters are tortured by surrealistic hallucinations. Add this to a deep trip into the underground of LA society in this film and this movie just might be interesting for you.
Requiem for a Dream
Another similar flick is Requiem for a Dream, which was directed by Darren Aronofsky. The full cast includes the iconic Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connolly, and Marlon Wayans. The movie offers a slight deviation from all of the above in that it’s not just one character who suffers the fate of a lost mind but an entire group.
Leto, the son, struggles with his own inner demons which spiral him into a nightmarish blend of madness and criminality. His mother(Burstyn) lives in an imaginary world of her own where she believes she will be a host on a famous game show. There is even one scene where she sees herself on the television at one point. Each character is affected by addiction and rises to meet their unfortunate fate near the end.
Perhaps it is Burstyn’s character that reminds us of Darko himself. Here is someone who believes the illusions in her mind, only to remain abysmally unaware of them. Ellen Burstyn received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Although the initial budget for the film was 4.5 million, it grossed 7.4 million at the box office.
The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense adds a paranormal and psychological twist of its own. Cole Sear, played by Haley Joel Osmont, is a troubled loner known for his extraordinary to see and communicate with departed spirits. Although it renders him unpopular in school, it puts him in touch with Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a renowned psychiatrist, played by Bruce Willis.
Crowe attempts to understand his new client and tries to help him come to grips with his issues. They strike up a friendship and then it leads Crowe to discover the real reason why they met in the first place.
The unreality faced by Sear is similar to the one faced by Donnie Darko in that illusions appear to hijack his mind. The central difference lies in the way that each lead character relates to the phantoms inside their head. For Darko, his hallucinations involve an evil entity that commands him to perform its dirty work.
In the case of Cole Sear, his hallucinations are of the troubled spirits of the dead. Even though Sear is afraid, he comes to understand that they are relatively harmless and only need his help.
Inception
Another popular flick that shares certain traits with Donnie Darko is the 2010 thriller Inception, which is written and directed by Christopher Nolan. In it, Leonardo DiCaprio is the quintessential con man Domonic Cobb. The thing that he steals is a person’s mind, and he does this by pilfering personal information from the subconscious minds of his targets.
He is called to use his talents for good to convince the son of a crooked CEO to dissolve his father’s business after fraud and greed are suspected. He is offered a chance to erase his past deeds in exchange for a job well done.But like Donnie Darko, he is a victim of mind control, in much the same way as his targets. The movie made a huge splash as it grossed over $836.8 million, which exceeded its original budget of $160 million.
Ex Machina
Mind control thrillers like Ex Machina offer their main characters the opportunity to be the ones in control of the minds of others through artificial intelligence. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, and Oscar Isaac, this simple $15 million budget film soon grossed over $36.9 million shortly after its release. It dealt with the idea of a robot by the name of Ava, whose mission was created by scientist and CEO Nathan Bateman. He recruits Caleb Smith, a talented programmer, for the project.
But then Nathan tries to upgrade Ava for his selfish purposes. Ava eventually warns Caleb of everything, and accuses Nathan of lying to achieve his means. It comes down to Caleb learning other things, such as that his current housekeeper, Kyoto, is also an android herself. But the lies and manipulation continue as Caleb discovers Ava’s own deception, which leads him down a mental spiral.
This movie is similar in its plot twist to Donnie Darko with Caleb being the one who finds out he is controlled. He finds himself taking orders from an android ordering him to kill the very man who made her. It comes as no surprise that this film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
American Beauty
Another nightmarish saga tells a tale of real-life infatuatiom with a hint of possession beyond an individual’s control. American Beauty is set in suburban America and stars the iconic Kevin Spacey as a middle-aged Lester with a wife and daughter. Seemingly unhappy with his own life, he attends a rally where his daughter is one of the cheerleaders. He suddenly falls for Angela, her best friend, and starts having delusions as a result. He loses his job and his life falls apart.
The story is similar in its theme of mind control and the ways that outside forces can bring people to ruin without warning. Yet the feature became popular after enjoying a smashing success of $356.3, followed by countless awards for writing, directing, and acting.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
An estranged couple is given the chance to erase each other from their memories. Joel and Clementine learn that they are not compatible as a couple and soon undergo a procedure that erases their memories of their relationship. But Joel, played by Jim Carrey, still experiences flashbacks of their time together and vows to start over.
At some point, after the experiment fails, they seek redemption and start over. Yet it only grossed a meager $74 million at the box office. Yet two Academy Awards followed: Winslet for Best Actress and another for Best Original Screenplay directed by Micheal Gondry.
Gone Girl
This 2014 film was written by Gillian Flynn and directed by David Fincher. Nick comes home to find that his wife Amy is missing. The story continues on a spiral of murder and deception, with a case that unfolds where Nick becomes a suspect in her murder. Things start to unravel as it is revealed that their marriage is tested through a major recession where Nick faces economic hardship and a severe illness in the family. They relocate to Missouri afterwards.
Detectives unlock clues that eventually lead to a set up concocted by Amy as revenge for Nick’s infidelity, but things still remain complicated. Eventually, her true character is revealed, but Nick feels responsible and vows to stay in the marriage despite his sister’s strenuous objections. Unseen forces are similar to Donnie Darko in their power to twist the mind.
Gone Girl was nominated for several awards, including the Critic’s Choice Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. Although it was budgeted at $61 million, it grossed at $369.3 million. The movie exceeded all expectation in that manner.
Coherence
Directed by James Ward Byrkit, this 2013 thriller takes the audience on a mysterious joyride with a dinner party of eight friends. Suddenly, a comet strikes and wipes out power for the entire neighborhood except for one house with a shattered window. Events unfold as the group go to the house only to find that it is a duplicate setting inhabited by their own clones.
Each guest meets their duplicate and their fate except for on couple, Kevin and Emily. But is it them, or could it be their clones? The film made a small salary of $102,617, yet it seems as though it had potential.
The Machinist
Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh both star in this psychological thriller. After a fatal accident on the job, Trevor Renwick (Bale) loses his job. He descends into paranoia and delusions which haunt him in the days to come. After another accident, he finally turns himself in.
Again, as with Donnie Darko, we are looking at a world infested with delusions and hallucinations. Director Brad Anderson knew the score when it came to a tortured mind. The movie made roughly $8.2 million and was a reasonable hit with audiences everywhere.
The Zodiac
Directed in 2007 by David Fincher, this mysterious drama and psychological thriller brings the audience into the twisted case of the Zodiac killer. In it, Jake Gyllenhaal plays the famous cartoonist whose work is vital to detectives who are trying to crack this difficult and important case. With Robert Downey, Jr. in a supporting role as a San Francisco reporter who tries to stick mainly with the facts in the case.
Events become surreal with each clue and its connection to the Zodiac. The main difference lies in the logical progression of the plot as facts are emphasized over fiction without losing the ability to tell a good story. Perhaps this is why the movie was able to gross about $84.7 million with good ratings. Plus, it won the Saturn Award for Best Action, Adventure, or Thriller Film.
Shutter Island
This final review involves the 2010 classic directed by none other than Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as U.S. Marshall Edward Daniels. He works with a team to investigate a missing inmate from Shutter Island, a renowned institution for the criminally insane. But he soon encounters his own illusions while attempting to make peace with his sordid past in this post-WWII psychological thriller.
Each flashback has its audience wondering the difference between reality and delusions, and DiCaprio’s character faces a fate that is similar to Donnie Darko’s. This film made a good $299.5 million at the box office. The film remains a favorite among fans even though there are no awards known as of today.
References:
BestSimilar: Movies like Donnie Darko
TheCinemaholic: 12 Movies You Must Watch If You Love ‘Donnie Darko’
Ranker: What to Watch If You Love ‘Donnie Darko’